1905 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



1251 



a sight worth photographing; but as there 

 were no cameras near, and I had not time to 

 go back, I gave it up. 



The bees are at present in the hive work- 

 ing away. They have a nice large hybrid 

 queen. E. J. Spaugh. 



Burney, Ind. 



[We have had instances of a swarm of 

 bees clustering in an ordinary tree, and 

 building combs as if they expected to live 

 there permanently. The older editions of 

 the A B C of Bee Culture contained a fine 

 illustration of such a colony without a hive, 

 with some seven or eight combs of honey, 

 and brood in all stages. This colony pros- 

 pered, and had occupied those quarters for 

 some two years But this was in California, 

 where the climate is mild. In one like yours, 

 the colony would probably have succumbed 

 to the first winter, for all other hiveless 

 colonies in this climate have died so far as 

 we have had any reports of them. I am 

 sorry you did not get a photo of them, as 

 cases of this kind are comparatively rare, 

 ar d are interesting if nothing more. 



I wish to say to our subscribers that, when 

 they see any curiosity of any kind relating 

 to the subject of bees, if they will employ a 

 good photographer to take the picture, and 

 send it to us, we will pay all expenses.— Ed.] 



FRAME-SPACERS THAT ARE NOT IN THE WAY. 



As everybody else has invented a frame- 

 spacer, I too will take a hand. Put a small 

 button, similar to those used in trunk-trays, 

 for fastening the different compartments on 

 each end of the top-bar. When turned cross- 

 wise of the top- bar, the ends should extend 

 out past the edge of the top- bar just half the 

 distance of the space desired between top- 

 bars, so that the ends of the buttons will 

 come together in the center of the space be- 

 tween the bars. I would have the ends of 

 these buttons rounded— not square-cornered. 

 In opening up the hive, all you have to do is 

 to turn these buttons parallel with the top- 

 bar, and you are at once ready to take the 

 frames from the hive and uncap, as the but- 

 tons are entirely out of the way of the un- 

 capping-knife. It is not even necessary to 

 remove the division-board from the hive, as 

 your frames are all loose and ready to lift 

 out as soon as the buttons are turned; and 

 this can be done in much less time than is re- 

 quired to pry out the division-board. 



I know you will make your usual objection, 

 that they can not be handled in pairs or trios; 

 but, as some one pointed out a short time ago, 

 frames are not handled in that way to any 

 great extent, and certainly not at extracting 

 time. J. D. Rowan, 



Chesterville, Miss., Oct. 11. 



[About fifteen years ago, furniture-nail 

 frame-spacers were illustrated and describ- 

 ed; but they never came into general use, 

 for the reason that it was not possible at 

 that time to get such nails of the right depth 

 or height in order to make the proper spac- 

 ing. The principle is all right, and perhaps 



it is as good as or better than any thing else 

 that has ever been suggested; and it may be 

 that it will pay, some time, to get up suitable 

 dies for making spacers of exactly the right 

 size. No less an authority than Dr. C. C. 

 Miller has been clamoring for something of 

 this kind for years, averring that such a 

 spacer would secure practically all the ad- 

 vantages of any spacer, without the disad- 

 vantages.— Ed.] 



THE DEFECT IN THE OHIO FOUL-BROOD LAW. 



This association has appointed a " Com- 

 mittee on Law ' ' whose duty it is to devise 

 ways and means to secure a foul-brood in- 

 spector for this and adjacent counties. As 

 the law now stands, it is ineffective. In sec- 

 tion one it reads, ' ' That whenever a petition 

 is presented to the board of county commis- 

 sioners of any county in the State of Ohio, 

 signed by three or more persons, all of whom 

 are residents of said county, and possessors 

 of an apiary or place where bees are kept, 

 stating that certain apiaries within said 

 county are infected with the disease known 

 as foul brood, or any other disease which is 

 injurious to bees or their larvse, praying 

 that an inspector be appointed by said county 

 commissioners, said board of county commis- 

 sioners may, within five days after the pre- 

 sentation of said petition, appoint a person 

 as bee inspector who is resident of said coun- 

 ty, who shall be a skilled bee-keeper, having 

 thorough knowledge of foul brood and other 

 diseases injurious to bees and their larvse, 

 and the treatment of same." 



The word may makes it optional. This 

 should not be. The word shall should be 

 substituted, making it imperative. Our 

 committee represents five different counties 

 of this State, all practical bee-keepers, whose 

 duty it is to see the members of the Ohio 

 legislature of their respective districts in 

 regard to the above misconstruction; also to 

 explain to them the necessity of foul- brood 

 inspectors, and eventually secure their ap- 

 pointments. Henry Reddert, Sec. 



Cincinnati, O., Oct. 29, 1905. 



[I do not remember now just why the 

 word Tnay was substituted for the word 

 shall; but I am under the impression that 

 the law would have failed of passage had 

 not this change been made. The bee-keep- 

 ers who had this matter in charge probably 

 concluded it was better to have som,ething 

 rather than nothing. While it would be bet- 

 ter, of course, to get this change made if 

 possible, the thing to do now is to get on 

 the right side of the county commissioners 

 at the start. Let there be a goodly number 

 of bee-keepers who can explain the terrors 

 of foul brood, and the need of having some 

 one man appointed who can, at very slight 

 expense, at the beginning of the thing, keep 

 the disease in check. I should be glad to 

 hear from any of those who had the bill in 

 charge while it was before the General As- 

 sembly, as to whether the substitution, if 

 substitution there was, was forced into the 

 measure.— Ed.] 



